Health and Safety Policy

Commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi

Pacific Coast Sharks American Football Club recognises Te Tiriti o Waitangi as Aotearoa New Zealand’s founding document.

Pacific Coast Sharks American Football Club is committed to upholding the mana of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the principles of Partnership, Protection and Participation.

Values

Pacific Coast Sharks American Football Club is committed to providing a safe and healthy environment for everyone whilst participating with us. People should be protected against harm as far as possible, and health and safety hazards should be identified and addressed quickly and thoroughly.

Pacific Coast Sharks American Football Club believes maintaining a safe and healthy environment is everyone’s responsibility, though it acknowledges everyone will have different roles and responsibilities.

Purpose

This policy aims to:

  • support an environment at Pacific Coast Sharks American Football Club that is safe and healthy
  • provide a process for proactively identifying, reducing and eliminating hazards and risks to health and safety at Pacific Coast Sharks American Football Club

Application

This policy applies to anyone involved in Pacific Coast Sharks American Football Club. This includes: volunteers, participants, supporters, club members, employees, service providers, and families/whānau of participants.

Appointment of Health and Safety Officer

At least one member of Pacific Coast Sharks American Football Club is to be appointed as a Health and Safety Officer. This is currently Kay Whyte. The Health and Safety Officer is responsible for:

  • updating and maintaining the Hazard Identification Register
  • maintaining the Visitor Register
  • completing Incident Reporting Form
  • undertaking a dedicated three-monthly hazard identification process, including:
    • physical inspections of the premises (N/A), equipment and practices
    • analysis of tasks and how they are carried out by employees/volunteers
    • analysis of processes carried out on the premises (N/A)
    • analysis of previous ‘near miss’ incidents.
  • reporting to the Committee/Board on identified hazards, incidents and near misses

The Committee/Board will:

  • provide and maintain a safe and healthy environment at Pacific Coast Sharks American Football Club including making sure Pacific Coast Sharks American Football Club’s premises, equipment and activities meet appropriate health and safety standards
  • appoint at least one Health and Safety Officer
  • make health and safety a permanent agenda item at all meetings
  • ensure employees, volunteers and contractors use safe ways of working
  • provide all information, training and supervision required to minimise health and safety risks
  • address identified hazards and actions required from reported incidents/near misses
  • provide specific opportunities for employees/ volunteers to raise health and safety issues and suggest areas for improving Pacific Coast Sharks American Football Club’s health and safety processes. address identified hazards and actions required from reported incidents/near misses
  • All players will be encouraged to wear gumshields/mouthguards whilst playing in all training/matches and obligated to wear gumshields/mouthguards in affiliated competitions.

Health and safety responsibilities

Everyone
Everyone will:

  • take reasonable care of their own health and safety
  • take reasonable care to ensure their actions or inactions do not affect the health and safety of others
  • share the responsibility equally, by identifying and reporting hazards, near misses and incidents using the Hazard Identification Register and Incident Reporting Form to the Health and Safety Officer
  • join in relevant health and safety training as required
  • follow this Health and Safety Policy Pacific Coast Sharks American Football Club’s health and safety processes.

Employees/volunteers
Employees/volunteers will:

  • prioritise health and safety in everything they do
  • supervise the children/young people in their care
  • make sure they understand what good health and safety practices look like in the context of the activity/ sport.

Contractors
Contractors will:

  • comply with all regulations, and codes of practice applying to their trade or profession
  • advise the Health and Safety Officer of all hazardous equipment, machinery or substances that are brought onto Pacific Coast Sharks American Football Club’s premises (NA)
  • record any incident or near miss on the Incident Reporting Form and provide it to the Health and Safety Officer
  • use all safety clothing/equipment required to minimise the risk of injury to themselves and others.

Visitors
Visitors will:

  • fill in the Visitor Register when entering Pacific Coast Sharks American Football Club Premises (NA)
  • supervise their children, as and when required.

Emergency procedures

If thunder is heard or a lightning strike occurs, practice may be canceled. If an event occurs, there is a 30 minute timer that goes into effect. Play cannot resume for at least 30 minutes. When the next event occurs, the timer starts again at 30 minutes. The best policy is to cancel the game/practice at that point.

Severe weather events

The weather is consulted before all practice sessions and games and the final call is made by the head coach who consults www.metservice.com

Traffic events can be consulted by www.nzta.gov.nz

Earthquakes

Some areas of the Bay of Plenty are very vulnerable to earthquakes and in the event that you experience one, remember to Drop, Cover and Hold. There will be no warning for an earthquake but once you have checked on your safety and that of those around you, you should tune into your local radio station for more information.

Tsunami

THINK LONG OR STRONG, GET GONE. In a local source tsunami there will be no time for an official warning and you will have to rely on the natural warning signs! If you feel an earthquake that lasts LONGER than a minute or is STRONG enough to knock you off your feet, you should move immediately inland or to higher ground (GONE). Other natural warning signs you might also notice are sudden or unusual changes in the tide and loud roaring noises (like a jet engine) from out at sea.

There are 8 AED devices alongside Gordon Spratt Reserve where we do most of our training including at Papamoa tennis club, Papamoa Sports Club, Papamoa Bowls and the other at the volunteer fire station on Parton Road. There is a 24hour AED at Papamoa College. We encourage our member to look at https://aedlocations.co.nz/ or download the app St Johns NZ CPR & AEDs

Reporting a breach

Individuals who wish to report an alleged breach of this policy should follow the complaints procedure outlined in the Complaints Policy and Procedure.

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